Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr (4) points out coverage at the line during the first half against San Diego State at Qualcomm Stadium. / Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

The last half-century of the Heisman Trophy has seen a trio of winners from non-power conferences: Brigham Young's Ty Detmer in 1990, Houston's Andre Ware in 1989 and Navy's Roger Staubach in 1963. That begins to put the odds against Jordan Lynch and Derek Carr into perspective.

Lynch and Carr have a leg up on Johnny Manziel, Sean Mannion, Teddy Bridgewater and others: Each pilots an undefeated team on the doorstep of a BCS bid. Each has the statistics to enter any Heisman conversation. But is that enough?

A perfect regular season might be enough to earn Lynch an invite to Manhattan ‚?? if only because the senior finished in the voting's top 10 a year ago, so he's already on the radar. Carr, on the other hand, is a national late-bloomer who needs style points down the stretch to make his case.

With nine weeks of the 2013 season in the books, here are 10 top contenders for the Heisman:

Mariota is the only player in the country to average at least 10 yards per pass attempt and at least nine yards per carry. Shocking, right? But let's think historically: Only one other quarterback since 2007 has averaged at least 10 yards per pass attempt and more than 5.5 yards per carry ‚?? Cam Newton averaged 5.58 yards per carry during his Heisman-winning season at Auburn in 2010.

The most striking aspect of Winston's near-unprecedented start is how the redshirt freshman makes everything look so effortless ‚?? or practiced, at least, meaning every move he makes resembles one of a fifth-year senior. Winston did his thing Saturday, ripping North Carolina State's defense to shreds before taking an early shower.

Manziel played pretty well with a banged-up shoulder, though he did toss another interception, his eighth of the year. But that the reigning Heisman winner showed no lingering effects from the injury is a good sign as he braces for a run at defending his title in November.

Lynch was 13-of-17 for 163 yards for three touchdowns, added 94 yards and a score on 16 carries on the ground and even put in time to make a 17-yard touchdown grab in NIU's predictably smooth win against Eastern Michigan. Oh, one thing I forgot to mention: Those numbers were from halftime.

Petty's quarterback efficiency rating of 219.01 would shatter the current FBS single-season record. Not that it matters, but Perry's current rating would nearly be an NCAA record across all levels: Petty's mark breaks the existing records on the FCS and Division II level, only coming up points short of the old Division III record.

6. Alabama QB AJ McCarron (Last week's ranking: No. 6)

Season stats: 145-of-209 for 1,862 yards; 16 touchdowns, three interceptions

McCarron's greatest advantage isn't the numbers, though they're impressive, but rather the idea that he again stands front and center on a team pushing for a record-breaking third national title in a row.

7. Fresno State QB Derek Carr (Last week's ranking: No. 7)

Season stats: 251-of-364 for 2,574 yards; 25 touchdowns, four interceptions

Good news, bad news. The good news? Fresno State's overtime win against San Diego State happened so early Sunday morning that most potential voters didn't see Carr struggle mightily in the first half. The bad news? Fresno State's overtime win against San Diego State happened so early Sunday morning that most potential voters didn't see Carr bounce back with a monster second half.

8. Oregon State QB Sean Mannion (Last week's ranking: No. 5)

Season stats: 270-of-391 for 3,263 yards; 30 touchdowns, three interceptions

Mannion didn't play so poorly in a loss to Stanford as to ruin his shot at the Heisman, though it's obvious he needs to run the table ‚?? beating Oregon along the way ‚?? to get back into the top five. Although he avoided interceptions, Mannion's game against the Cardinal was familiar to those who tracked his struggles in 2011 and 2012.

9. Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater (Last week's ranking: No. 10)

Season stats: 179-of-243 for 2,557 yards; 23 touchdowns, two interceptions

Pity poor South Florida, which never had an iota of a chance of stopping Bridgewater and Louisville's passing game. The Cardinals' 34-3 win was punctuated by Bridgewater's three-touchdown, four-incompletion afternoon.

10. Baylor RB Lache Seastrunk (Last week's ranking: No. 9)

Season stats: 96 carries for 896 yards, 11 touchdowns

As of today, Seastrunk seems a long shot to make any major Heisman noise. But the season's final month presents the former Oregon transfer with countless opportunities at a Heisman-altering performance, beginning with Oklahoma on Nov. 7 and extending through the finale against Texas a month later.

Paul Myerberg, a national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports, is on Twitter @PaulMyerberg.